But key positions remain unfilled as reshuffle enters ninth day

Jeremy Corbyn has moved to heal Labour divisions by appointing more former Owen Smith backers to key posts in his new team in Parliament.

Former Shadow Attorney General Karl Turner, former shadow schools minister Nic Dakin, former Defra shadow minister Nick Smith and Ogmore MP Chris Elmore were all appointed to the Opposition Whips’ office.

Allies said the move was a strong signal that Corbyn wants to unite the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), many of whom were upset at the sacking of Opposition Chief Whip Rosie Winterton last week.

But eight days after Corbyn started his reshuffle – which followed by his second landslide leadership victory - HuffPost has discovered that 31 vacant shadow posts remain unfilled (see below).

Eight shadow ministerial jobs, and 23 Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) posts are still vacant following this summer’s mass resignations by MPs who felt their leader was not upto the job.

One of the key reasons so few PPSs - ministerial aides - have been appointed is that they are normally given to new MPs and many of the party’s 2015 intake have already been given more senior posts.

The Shadow Defence team still has two unfilled posts, as well as no PPS to new Shadow Defence Secretary Nia Griffith.

Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Debbie Abrahams lacks both a PPS and two shadow ministers from her team, although Alex Cunningham was on Thursday made the new shadow pensions minister.

Shadow Treasury, Home Office, Scotland Office and Commons leader teams are all missing a shadow minister from their team. Dave Anderson is having to act as both Shadow Northern Ireland and Shadow Scottish Secretary.

And Jeremy Corbyn himself has still not replaced Steve Rotheram, who is now Labour’s candidate for Metro Mayor in Merseyside, in the crucial post of PPS to the Leader of the Opposition.

Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell and Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon have also all been unable to find PPSs so far.

Danny Lawson/PA Wire

Owen Smith and Jeremy Corbyn

Supporters of the leader point out that Labour does not have to fill all the 124 shadow Government posts that the party had prior to the summer ‘coup’ attempt against Corbyn.

Some posts may remain unfilled, while new roles have been created such as Dawn Butler’s Shadow Minister for Diverse Communities.

Corbyn has underlined how his new team has many more women and minority ethnic MPs than ever before.

Some 39 of the 73 frontbench appointments (54%) made since October 6 have gone to women MPs. Twelve of the 72 have also been MPs from the black and minority ethnic community.

Corbyn’s team upset many in MPs last week with the manner of Winterton’s sacking, as she was fired at a meeting which she had assumed was being held to discuss progress on the idea of Shadow Cabinet elections.

Fellow whips Conor McGinn and Holly Lynch quit soon after and many MPs cheered Winterton’s name at the weekly meeting of the PLP on Monday.

Christopher Furlong via Getty Images

Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth

With the removal of Jonathan Ashworth from the ruling NEC also confirmed this week, some backbenchers felt that Corbyn’s offer of an ‘olive branch’ was beginning to ring hollow.

But the appointment of former Owen Smith backers to the Whips’ office was seen as a signal that Corbyn and new Opposition Chief Whip Nick Brown wanted to reach out to all parts of the party.

Many MPs want to focus on the battle against the Tories, ahead of a possible general election next spring.

Of the 12 members of the Opposition Whips’ office, 9 of them backed Owen Smith, while Deputy Chief Whip Alan Campbell and pairing whip Mark Tami opted to remain neutral given their roles in the party.

Corbyn moved on Thursday to heal divisions with the appointment of Winterton as his new ‘envoy’ to fellow socialist parties across the globe.

One Shadow Cabinet minister told HuffPost UK: “Imagine if they’d had the wit to announce that the same day they sacked her? It would have allowed her some dignity and them to prove they wanted to unite the party.”

Turner was scathing about Corbyn and his supporters this summer, tweeting that the leader was ‘irresponsible’ to keep suggesting Labour was on level pegging with the Tories before the summer resignations.